The invention relates to cosmetic applicators. More specifically, the invention relates to cosmetic applicators adapted for single or short-term use.
Before buying a makeup product, the average consumer will most frequently wish to try the product she is contemplating on her own skin before committing to make what may be an expensive purchase. In order to please the potential buyer, the cosmetics vendor faces a difficult dilemma. i.e., how to permit the buyer to sample a small amount of the product of interest at a relatively low cost to the vendor, and at the same time provide the buyer with an adequate amount of product to permit her to make an informed decision regarding her purchase. For many years, the standard procedure was providing an array of xe2x80x9ctestersxe2x80x9d, i.e., full size pieces of each color in a line. In this scenario, every prospective buyer sampled from the same piece, such as a full size lipstick. Because there was a single piece to test from, however, and particularly with lipstick, no buyer was actually permitted to apply the product directly to her lips; rather, at best it was permitted to stroke the lipstick on the skin of the back of the hand. Alternately, for example, with a powder product such as an eyeshadow, an individual cotton swab might be provided to each customer, to permit her to take a small amount from the single piece provided. Clearly, however, such sampling procedures are less than optimum for the consumer, as they do not permit normal application and evaluation of the appearance of the product in the environment in which they will be worn.
It has now become a more common practice to provide the customer with individual single or short term use samplers, i.e., a miniature version of the actual full size product. The individual sampler is completely hygienic, being used by a single customer, and allows the customer to try a lipstick directly on her lips at the counter, or to take it home to try it with a particular outfit. The single use tester has now become an established method of sampling, being preferable to both the vendor and the customer as a means of trying out a new product. Illustration of such testers are found for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,785,905, 4,915,234, WO 96/32031 and WO 96/32032. However, such testers are not without their problems. Unlike the full-size testers, the vendor must have a large inventory of samples of each shade on hand at the counter, thus creating a potential storage problem in a small space. It can also be costly to create a variety of samplers in all available shades, for which there may not be equal demand, potentially leaving a considerable amount of waste of less popular sampler shades. In addition, many of the cosmetic products currently available rely on the use of volatile solvents; such products, in order to be stored over long periods of time, require airtight packaging, which can significantly increase the cost. Thus, there continues to be a need for a cosmetic sampler that affords the consumer a convenient means of trying new products under hygienic conditions, while at the same time being cost-effective and efficiently storable by the vendor. The present invention now provides such a product.